The present invention is directed to the field of hunting accessories. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a gun rest for use in a tree stand, or the like. The present invention is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/334,389 filed Dec. 31, 2002 entitled Bow Rest which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Hunting, both bow and rifle or shot gun, is an increasingly popular sport, requiring significant skill and stealth. Tree stands can provide a certain level of creature comforts for a hunter out in the elements awaiting the quarry""s approach. However, holding a high-powered bow or shoulder weapon at the ready can produce muscle fatigue that leads to an errant shot. On the other hand, lifting the weapon from an at rest position, bringing it to a firing position, taking aim and firing will typically involve too much motion and potentially noise-producing movement to not spook the game. Accordingly, a need exists for holding a shoulder-fired weapon in a horizontal position where it may be easily brought to the ready position with a minimum of commotion.
There are two primary embodiments of the gun rest of the present invention. Each embodiment comprises two identical U-shaped members with means to attach the elements to the tree stand. A non-slip coating is applied to the support portions of the gun rest. In the first embodiment, the attachment means comprises integral dowels that are inserted into the hollow ends of the tree stand frame. In the second embodiment, an adjustable T-shaped clamp arm identical to the one used in the parent application is provided to permit the two gun rest members to be clamped to opposed frame arms The first and second U-shaped members and the T-shaped clamp arms are preferably made of a high strength, high durability plastic such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS). The non-slip coating is preferably synthetic or natural rubber.
Various other features, advantages and characteristics will become apparent after a reading of the following specification.